Ardern not part of laughter at Trump
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says there was nothing surprising in United States President Donald Trump’s speech to the United Nations and it mostly confirmed what New Zealand knew about his administration’s view of the world.
Trump used his speech to preach patriotism over globalisation and said the US would unashamedly implement policies that put America first.
Trump arrived late, forcing a last-minute scheduling switch, then sparked laughter around the room when he boasted that his administration had accomplished more than ‘‘almost any administration in the history of our country’’.
However, Ardern insists she did not join the laughter – she said she was too intent on what Trump had to say.
She said there was nothing surprising in Trump’s speech, which was a continuation of the themes that had been present throughout his presidency.
‘‘He takes a very particular view on issues around sovereignty and multilateralism and of course issues around Iran; I don’t think that would have surprised anyone.’’
New Zealand, of course, had a long history of taking a very different view. ‘‘From New Zealand’s perspective we were at the table when the United Nations was formed. Multilateralism has always been one of our values and we will maintain that.’’
Ardern is scheduled to make her debut speech to the UN general assembly tomorrow morning (NZ time). She delivered a speech in the general assembly hall earlier this week for a special summit on the late Nelson Mandela.
Trump’s speech underscored the growing divide between New Zealand and the US on foreign policy – his speech excoriated institutions like the UN, and World Trade Organisation, and urged other world leaders to take America’s side on issues like the isolation of Iran.
The US has pulled out of numerous international bodies and treaties under Trump including the Paris climate accord, the International Criminal Court and the UN Human Rights Council, among many.
Trump also pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal supported by much of the rest of the world, including New Zealand.
Ardern said New Zealand maintained the view that the Iran nuclear deal ‘‘was producing results contributing to non proliferation’’ so would not pull out.
Ardern was momentarily floored when asked if there was anything in the speech she did agree with. After taking a moment to consider her answer, Ardern acknowledged that Trump’s message would resonate with many.